State of the Art
by Aisu The Spiffy
Summary: Zero and X were the first two Repliroids, and arguably the best two. Well, technology has finally caught up to their standards...
1. Sutareteimasu

Author's Notes: Sorry if this sucks, written mostly while half-asleep. The story takes place at no particular point in the timeline, although it's most definitely after X4. Any flaws with personality or mechanics should be pointed out to me so I can apologize profusely and fix them. Please comment or I will be forced to send hitmen after you or something. Oh, and the title of this chapter means "to be obsolete" basically, although it's probably congugated wrong.

Chapter 1: Sutareteimasu

            Zero walked confidently through the halls of the Maverick base, the echoes of his footsteps bouncing off the frost-covered walls. He had defeated most of the lesser guards along the way, with only a few creatures giving him trouble. However, despite his confident stride, he was slightly worried. In the past, he had destroyed creatures of similar models with even more ease than this. _Could something be wrong with my system...?_ he pondered to himself as he walked on.

            The call that had dragged him out here was fairly routine. Various individual Mavericks who had probably been hampered by Sigma's control were popping up like mushrooms after a rain, freed by Sigma's defeat. _At least for another week, _he thought with a slight bitter grin. Sigma would most likely return soon, and once again he and X would be dispatched to save the day after Sigma finally got rid of the ridiculous disguise. Then he thought better of himself, and chided himself for treating the situation with humour. _More civilians could be hurt when he attacks... If there was only some way to get rid of him for good!_

            He sighed and shook his head. _Wishful thinking, unfortunately._ He refocused himself on the situation at hand, and noticed that he was now standing directly in front of a large, metallic door. _I was so wrapped up, I didn't notice it, _he thought with some surprise. _That's odd... I usually catch these things sooner..._ Pushing aside the worry and confusion this thought brought, he opened the door and stepped inside.

            Inside stood a fairly large blue dragon-like Repliroid, probably one from the same series that Magma Dragoon had been from all that time ago. Although a few modifications were present, such as the color scheme and a slightly sleeker feel to the whole thing, the design was strikingly familiar, and Zero felt a slight wave of nostalgia and sadness over the fallen Hunter. The young Maverick looked faintly annoyed at Zero's distraction, and tapped his foot impatiently. Finally Zero fought off the nostalgia and looked up at the Maverick. "Hello. Although I doubt you'll listen to me, if you drop your weapons and come with me peacefully, there will be no need to fight," the crimson hunter said, silently hoping this time would be the exception to the rule.

            The dragon-like Repliroid smirked. "Me, surrender? I'm afraid you have the wrong guy. I enjoy battle, and I'm sure my fellows will be quite happy if I bring back the head of a Hunter as great as yourself." He flexed his claws as he spoke, and Zero felt briefly afraid at the length, before fighting off the feeling.

            _You've taken on many bigger than him… It can't be that hard… _the scarlet Hunter thought. _So then, why am I so afraid?_

Before Zero had time to fully collect himself, his enemy charged him, claws held high. Zero barely managed to raise the saber in time to block the attack, forcing his enemy back.

            The other Repliroid sneered again. "You're slower than I thought, Zero-san. C'mon, show me the skills that got you to the top…" He seemed to consider something, and then his grin grew still larger. "Or have you lost your touch? Could it be that one of the greatest Hunters of all time just can't do it anymore?"

            "You're talking nonsense," Zero stated, trying to keep himself calm despite the sinking feeling he had that his assailant was correct. _It would account for how poorly I've been performing recently… _

"Oh, come off it, Zero. I can see in your eyes you know the truth. Why not prove us both wrong, then, and actually fight?" With that, the blue fighter swiped at the air with his claws. Where his claws had been, three razor thin ice shards were lest, which flew at Zero. The Hunter barely had time to react, rolling out of the way seconds before they flew past where he had just been and dug themselves into the wall.

            _Magma never had anything like that… Time to rework my strategy, _he thought.

            _You have a strategy? _questioned another voice, but he pushed this one aside and charged the Maverick, sword held at ready. His enemy tried to dodge, but was just a second too late. Zero's sword cut through his side, trailing blood and sparks as it went.

            His enemy winced and looked surprised. "Very nice indeed. Looks like I have to fight a little harder, then."  Trailing blood behind him, he charged Zero at lightning speed, slashing again with both claws at once.

            _I can't block both of them at once! _Zero thought, desperation tinting every word. He quickly jumped backwards, but not before one of the claws had cut into his armor, leaving a trio of scratches that barely avoided the skin level.

            "Once again, you're so SLOW, Zero…" complained the larger Repliroid, clutching at his side. "I expected more of a fight from you!"

            "What, nearly slicing you in half isn't good enough for you?" Zero said wryly, trying to ignore the still-mounting belief his enemy was correct.

            "From what I've heard, you're the greatest! You should've sliced me into salami in five seconds! Not that I want to be salami, but at least show me you're the real Zero and not just some annoying Hunter in a red costume…"

            Zero shrugged. "What you want, I'll be happy to deliver." He dashed at his opponent, concentrating all his energy into this blow. The other Repliroid looked slightly stunned at this turn of speed, and Zero used this advantage to slash another time. This one hit straight and true, and the sapphire Maverick fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

            Zero deactivated his sword and studied his handiwork with the usual twinge of pain for having to kill his own kind. The sword had nearly cut the Maverick into two pieces, and he winced at the painful sight. _Unfortunately, it's a little too late to talk it out now… I better head back to base. _He prepared himself to teleport, trying to fight off the feeling that he should've been able to deal with that much faster, and that something was clearly deeply wrong…


	2. Zetsubou

Author's Notes: Thanks to the one person who reviewed! I'd review your stuff, but I've never played MMZ. ; Writing quality is good, tho.

I'm still half-asleep after a late-night anime marathon, so please forgive any problems that raises.

More people review! Argh!

Oh, BTW, scenes are seperated by , AN and story are seperated by ---.

---

Chapter 2: Zetsubou (Despair)

               Zero arrived at the base in a bolt of red energy, startling a few people nearby. A few younger Hunters ran up to ask him how it had gone, but he waved them aside and headed directly towards the labs.

               When he arrived, the only occupant was a young human woman who had recently joined the Hunter's science team, whose name Zero couldn't recall. She smiled and waved as he entered. "Hello, Zero-sama! How did the last mission go?"

               "Badly, I'm afraid," replied Zero, slumping against one of the walls. " I kept getting distracted and nostalgic during battle, and it took forever to beat him… I think something's wrong with my system or something..."

               "It's quite unlikely," she stated firmly. "Your scans as recently as last week show you in perfect condition other than the usual scrapes from battle."

               "Could you do a quick check anyway? I'm slightly worried about the whole thing..." Zero's eyes had lost some of their usual calm and almost looked fearful.

               The young scientist sighed. "Fine, but I doubt it will turn up a thing." Brushing a strand of brown hair out of her sapphire eyes, and began flipping various switches on the control panels that lined the room. A large blue capsule began to hum slightly and the glass on it slid up, leaving the capsule invitingly open.

               "Just step inside, and the program will begin," she said cheerfully. "It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to complete, so you'll be out of here soon."

               Zero nodded and straightened up from his previous slumped positon. He stepped into the capsule, and watched boredly as the blue-tinted glass slid down around him. He had gone through the process a million times before, and although interesting at first, it had quickly gotten boring.

               "Alright, Zero-sama. You know the basics. You're going to be shut down for a little bit, but by the time you wake up, I should have the results," said the young woman, still smiling.

               _Why is she telling me this stuff? I've done this before, _he thought with slight annoyance. _Or could it be that she thinks I'll forget if she doesn't remind me? Has something been wrong for a while and noone's told me?_

Before he had time to contemplate further, he felt his system begin the shutdown process, and fell unto unconciousness...

               Some time later, Zero emerged from the capsule, the worried expression still resting on his face. "Well, what do the scans show?" he asked in a nervous tone of voice.

               "Nothing's wrong with you, Zero-sama. Your memory banks are getting slightly full, which probably accounts for the distraction, but that's just because you've been around for a while. However, that leads to the other thing I want to discuss..." she said, in a tone of worry to match that of Zero.

               "Hmn? What seems to be the problem?" he asked, a new degree of fear edging his voice.

               "Well, Zero-sama, you know that technology's getting more advanced, right?"

               "Obviously. New and better repliroids and computer systems are built every day. What does this have to do with me?" he questioned, one eyebrow raised.

               "Well, you and X-sama most certainly set a high standard to meet when X was discovered... however... what if technology has finally caught up?"

               "What do you mean?" aked Zero, the fear now mounting.

               "You guys are old technology, I'm afraid. New and better things are built every day, like you said, and they've finally surpassed the standard you both set..." She sighed slightly and brushed more hair out of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Zero. You couldn't be the best forever..." Her eyes were large and sorrowful.

               Zero just sat there, silent. His gaze was fixed on his large boots. His expression was a mix between shock, despair, and anger, and the young woman opposite him felt a deep wave of empathy. _If only there was something I could do... _she thought sorrowfully.

               Finally Zero looked up, all emotion apparently drained from his face. "I see. So should I just resign, then?" he said, in a voice that was as cold as ice.

               "Of course not, Zero-sama! You're still some of the best we have, you're just..." She fumbled for words, but Zero interrupted her, the cold in his voice biting.

               "I'm just old technology. Nothing new. No longer state of the art. Just another holdover from the Dark Ages, doomed to the scrap heap."

               "I'm not trying to say that, Zero-sama! You're still incredibly good at fighting, and we can use you at the base! Please don't take this the wrong way, Zero-sama!"

               "And what way am I supposed to take it then, hmn?" Some of the coldness in his voice had been replaced by anger. "Am I just supposed to go 'Oh, I'm doomed to obsoleteness, lally lally lally, let's have a picnic before I get replaced by some hotshot who happens to have a larger gun than I do?'" The anger mounted in his voice, and he nearly screamed at the poor young woman, who was now cringing. "Is that what you all want me to do?!"

               "O-of course not, Zero!" she whimpered, still cringing from the Hunter's anger. "You'll always have a very high position in the Hunters! You have more experience than most of the people here!"

               Zero's voice had returned to bitter coldness. "I'll get to be the oldtimer, then. I get to train the people who will replace me, and watch them laugh at me behind my back because I'm so pathetic. I'm sorry, but I can't handle that kind of existance. Maybe I'll take myself to the scrapheap, then." With that, he stood up stiffly, causing his golden hair to swirl around him. "Tell anyone who cares about an oudated pile of junk like me that I said goodbye." With that, he stalked out of the room.

               "Zero..." whispered the young woman, but it was too late. He was gone.

---

AN: That was exhausting. Sorry about any confusion all the stuff about system malfunctions in the first chapter being misleading, but Z refused to let himself see the truth.

Mood swings are fun to write!

Please review and stay tuned for chapter 3, Koukei. If you know what that means, you get the jump on everyone else! Whee!


	3. Mikata

A/N: Yatta! Another reviewer! Don't worry, I'm not going to kill off my main chara this early on. Later, tho, there's no guarentees.... Sorry that there hasn't been much X so far. His chara's just less developed at the moment. However, he's showing up this chapter. The chapter title has changed from what I said it would be for 2 reasons: It would be too long a chapter if I tried to make it what I said it would be, and I'm not sure how encouraged adding non-canon charas in main roles is. It's necessary in this case, because Axl is the only chara that would work but he shows up after this story... somewhere. I'm still not clear on exact time. Japanese term gloassary: Anou = "um," pretty much. Used if you're not sure what you're about to say is offending. -sama = "Sir." used for superiors or people you respect greatly. -san = "Mr./Ms." Pretty generic suffix for accquantinces or buisness partners or suchlike. -chan/-kun = Used amoung friends. Not sure on exact meaning, as sometimes -chan is used for female friends, and sometimes for young children of both genders. -Kun seems to be male-specific, but can still be used for little kids as well as friends. If someonme can clarify this for me, I'll be happy. -gomen = The informal form of "gomen nasai", or "I'm sorry." And now the incredibly long A/N is over! Once again, critisism is appreciated. Please R/R. --- Chapter 3: Mikata (Friend)  
Zero stalked through the halls of the base, shoving people aside to cut a path to his room. After a short while, there was no need to shove, as the younger Hunters were too afraid to get near him, so the crowds parted in front of him easily. However, one corageous Hunter approached him, managing to keep pace with the taller and incredibly angry Hunter.  
"Anou... Zero-sama, is something wrong?" asked the frightened young hunter.  
Zero turned to look at the shorter Repliroid and narrowed his eyes, causing the poor Repliroid to wince. "Oh, I'm just FINE. Everything's peachy keen and wonderful! In fact, today's been so good, I'm in the mood to give you a promotion! After all, you're newer technology, so you MUST be better than anyone else! Here, take my job! After all, I'm just an old geezer who nobody gives a bleeding damn about!" Zero's voice had gone up several decibels in volume from when he had begun.  
By this point, the other Hunter was cringing horribly and deeply sorry that he had first talked to Zero in the first place. "Zero-sama... You're a much better hunter than I am..." he managed to whisper.  
Zero gave a harsh laugh. "Like that matters anymore? Now it's just who has the biggest gun! Talent is the thing of the past, I'm afraid! I'll miss it, but it's not like anyone else will, because it means they get to get rid of old geezers like ME!" With that, he stalked off, leaving the poor hunter to wonder whether this really counted as a promotion or not, and if he wanted it to be one.   
X lounged in the base's large courtyard, a shounen manga held in one hand. His helmet was off for the first time in quite a while, and the hand that was not occupied with manga had been put to the impossible task of flattening his deeply messy brown hair, which was fairly short and spiked off in whatever directions it chose. However, just as he was getting truly settled, the first rumours came.  
"Didya hear? Zero-sama's gone completley off the deep end!" he heard a female Hunter state in a giggly voice to a group of her friends.  
"No way!" replied one of the group. "Zero? The blonde sexy one? He's always so calm and collected!"  
"Nope, he's definatley bonkers. Hitomi-san said he threatened to kill himself, and Kage-san's still trying to recover from what Zero did to him," stated the first one.  
"Oooh, what did he do?" asked a third one. X was having severe difficulty telling them apart now.  
"Well, Zero just yelled at him for a while, to tell the truth," said the first one glumly. The others sighed at the lack of good gossip.  
The second one thought for a while, then giggled slightly, and apparently not noticing X's presence, said "I bet he's actually deeply in love with X-sama, and has gone mad because he knows X will never love him back..." She then sighed melodramatically and clutched her hands to her chest. "It's so romantic!"  
The others stared at her, and X's eyes were wide. Finally the first one managed to gain her composure and said, "You are SO strange, Artic- chan."  
"What? It could be true!" shouted Artic. The others all broke into a gigglefit, while the poor Artic fumed at the center.  
X shook his head. Although he severly doubted Artic's statement, the rest sounded interesting. He wondered what really could've set his friend off, and decided to check it out. Zero had been slightly more irratable and prone to brooding after Iris-chan's death, but nothing this severe. With a sigh, he put down his manga and stood up, his armor making a noise as he shifted. The pack of still-giggling girls turned around to investigate and fell silent as they saw X.  
"Don't worry, girls. I'm just off to solve any romantic problems Zero- san may have," he assured them, grinning slightly despite his worry about his friend. They relaxed and giggled slightly, while Artic went even redder. Grinning at her, X headed into the compound itself. He followed the path to Zero's room, a path he knew as well as the back of his hand.   
Zero sat alone in his room, his helmet off and lying in one of the corners of the fairly large room. The walls showed signs of saber slashes, as did his recharge capsule. However, the destruction was apparently now temporarily on hold, and he was instead staring at the ground. His blonde hair fell in his sapphire eyes, but he either didn't notice or didn't care.  
Why...? he thought. I've been here forever... Why does it have to come to a halt like this? I want to die in combat, not because I fall apart from age... He buried his head in his hands. Damnit... This isn't the right way to go out! Not like this!  
A knock came at his door, fairly soft and tenative, shocking him out of his thoughts. "Zero-kun, are you willing to let me in?" came X's voice.  
"...No, not particularly, but I doubt you'll stop bugging me until I let you in," Zero said, sighing slightly. He stood up and opened the door to reveal his friend's worried face. X stepped in and sat in one of the less damaged chairs, looking worried as he noticed the amount of destruction. Zero returned to his own and slumped into it, staring at the ceiling, apparently unwilling to face X.  
"So, Zero-kun, what's up?" queried X. "The entire base is in an uproar. We're all fairly worried, trust me."  
Zero shrugged. "They act like they are, but in reality, half of them are probably glad I'm finally going to leave my position for someone younger and better. Personally, I couldn't care less about the lot of them."  
"Zero-kun, that's mean!" protested X. "They honestly care about you, OK? You're one of the greatest Hunters of all time! We can't afford to lose you now!"  
"...All I am now is scrap," stated Zero. "Even if they wanted me to keep fighting - which I doubt - I'd probably be killed by a Mettool. Even they're more advanced than I am." He closed his eyes and half-whispered the next scentence. "I'd be better off joining her..."  
X sighed as well, although more with annoyance than depression. "Trust me, Iris-chan does not want you dead, OK?" X leaned over across the short distance and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Noone wants you dead, especially not her. She loved you, and she would not want you to collapse like this."  
Zero opened his eyes and looked into X's face. X met Zero's gaze with one of his own. Zero's sorrowful blue eyes and X's determined green eyes met for what seemed for like an eternity, until Zero sighed and looked away. "I guess that much is true. I'm sorry, X... I'm just..." He closed his eyes again and slumped even further in his chair. "Whether the other Hunters want me around or not, pretty soon everyone's going to be so much more advanced I'll be useless, and I don't know if I can bear it..."  
X nodded, but smiled slightly. "Whatever happens, I'll be with you, OK? I promise you that much. If you're forced to retire, I'll leave too."  
Zero shook his head. "You need to stay with the force, X. They need at least one of us..."  
X grinned slightly, although a hint of sorrow rested in his eyes. "There's something you seem to have forgotten. I'm as old as you are - more likely, I'm even older. When you're obsolete, I will be too..."  
Zero's eyes flared open, and he looked embarrased. "Oh my god, I hadn't even thought... I've been talking only about me, and never even though about you... Gomen!" He hung his head, causing blonde hair to spill over his shoulders.  
X shook his head and patted Zero's shoulder again. "Think nothing of it. You're hit harder by it than I am. I don't even want to fight, so retirement might be quite nice."  
Zero nodded, but continued to stare at the ground. "...Thank you, X- san."  
"Hey, anything for a friend, right?" X grinned, and Zero managed to look up enough to smile back, although weakly.  
"So, now what...?" asked Zero.  
"Well, since I doubt they'll get rid of us any time soon, I guess we go back to normal life."  
"Like our life has ever been normal?" said Zero, managing a grin.  
X returned the grin as he stood up. "I guess this is as normal as it gets..." With that, he left the room, while Zero began to repair the damage he had caused... 


	4. Koukei

A/N: A few thank yous to go around before the chapter. Thanks to my mom and dad for pointing out where I needed to improve. Also, thanks to Ryuujin (Whether you want to be thanked or not) for helping me outline the entire plot of this thing, as well as giving me Deathsong to use. Also, a small warning: From here on, the story gets really depressing. So if you want to be cheered up, don't read. (I feel like Lemony Snicket.) --- Chapter Four: Koukei (Replacement)  
  
Zero transported into the base, wiping a slight trickle of blood away from the corner of his mouth. Today's mission had gone fairly well, although he still retained a nagging feeling that he wasn't doing as well as he used to, despite X's words the day before. Whatever the case, he was exhausted, and simply wanted to return to his room and relax for a while. He headed off down the halls of the large base, his red boots clicking against the metal floors.  
However, the sight that greeted his eyes as he opened the door was not a relaxing one. Sitting in his chair was a tall Repliroid with long, silver hair. His armor was black and silver, and extended into long spikes at the elbows and knees, despite the sleekness of the rest of the design. His hair seemed to have been designed similarly, as it fell down his back in long, flowing waves, but at the bottom seemed to spike up sharply. In one hand he held a weapon that resembled in many ways a tuning fork, if said tuning fork had been extended a great deal and given pointed tines. He was leaning back, eyes closed, apparently deeply relaxed.  
Zero was slightly annoyed at the intrusion, but decided to remain polite until he figured out what was going on. "Excuse me, but what are you doing in my room?"  
The man opened his eyes slowly and turned to look at Zero. When he saw the blond Repliroid, he looked slightly surprised. "Oh, you mean no one told you?" he queried, raising one elegant eyebrow. Zero now had time to notice his eyes, which were as silver as his hair.  
"Told me what, exactly?" asked Zero in a fairly annoyed tone of voice. He didn't want to play 20 Questions with the younger Repliroid, he just wanted to relax.  
The man leaned back again. "Well, to put it bluntly, you've been replaced."  
"What do you mean, Zero's been replaced?" demanded X in an angry tone of voice. Signas cringed slightly under his anger.  
"Well, you see, X-san, we're uncertain about Zero's mental stability," the tall Hunter commander stated in a voice that was only slightly quavery. "First there was the breakdown yesterday, and today he performed incredibly badly in a mission. The mission was still successful, but he wasn't at all at his normal par. We believe he may have had a malfunction somewhere, and until we can correct it, we rather he stay here. It's only temporary, so don't worry."  
"The entire reason he's been acting so unstable is he's worried about replacement!" raged X. "You'd know that if you actually TALKED to him for a little while!"  
Signas sighed slightly. "X-san, we know that is most likely the reason for the instability, but we'd still like to run some scans on him before we give him back control over the Zero Unit."  
X continued to look angry. "You better have replaced him with somebody who can actually fight for beans..." he muttered.  
"No need to worry, X-san. Deathsong-san is a competent fighter. After all, he trained under Zero himself, so he can fight quite well," Signas assured him.  
X sighed but nodded. "I guess this may be for the best... I've been worried for him too..." he admitted.  
Signas smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Zero will be back in control as soon as we get those scans done."  
Zero stared at the younger Hunter. "What do you mean, replaced...?" he said weakly.  
The silver-haired man sighed and leaned back further. "You are no longer commander of the Zero Unit. I, Deathsong, am. What else do you need to know?"  
"But... it's my personal unit! They created it for me! Why would they replace me?" Zero protested.  
Deathsong shrugged. "I have no idea, personally. All I know is that they said, 'Here, Deathsong, take over this unit for a little while, your room is now down that hall over there, byebye!'"  
Zero shook his head, his eyes staring at nothing. "This can't be happening..." he said, but the words sounded false even to himself.  
"Sorry, but that's the way it goes, Zero-sama. I'm sure you'll have control soon, but until then, your room is down the hall and up that flight of steps."  
Zero managed to get himself out into the hallway and to the steps before collapsing. Part of his mind was insisting that Deathsong was pulling a prank, that soon enough he'd come and give Zero back his room, his unit, his life. Part of his mind was just silent. And the last part was silent except for one simple statement...  
I guess I was obsolete... 


	5. Sakura to Ayame

A/N: Wow, it's been a while since I wrote this. Hopefully the formatting won't implode again. Thanks to the one reviewer I got, and I'll help you later on character development if I can.

The reason I have returned is twofold. One, I began writing a Rockman fanfic for a bunch of random friends online, and it inspired me to write again. The other one is the excellent work of the writer Atreyu452, who writes some of the best Rockman.EXE work I've ever seen and made me realize if I didn't start writing again I'd just have to sit and be jealous of better writers. So, thank you, Atreyu-chan, even if you never ever read this.

Chapter 5: Sakura to Ayame (Cherry Blossoms and Iris)

Zero wandered aimlessly through the halls of the Hunter base, his eyes empty and distant. Some of the younger Hunters gave him odd looks as he passed, but he seemed unable to notice. His helmet was tucked under one arm, allowing strands of blonde hair to cascade across his face.

_You've been replaced, _whispered Deathsong's voice in his mind. _Obsolete. Ignored. Might as well just kill yourself and be done with it._

Zero shook his head, causing his blonde hair to become even messier. _No... I refuse to accept that. This is just temporary... I have to believe that, or there will be nothing else to believe..._

_Why bother? _replied the mocking voice. _What's the point of going on in the first place? Why don't you just give up on Hunting and welcome oblivion instead?_

..._For Iris, I must continue, if there is no other reason. She would not want me to give up. X said so, and I believe him with all my heart._

_Iris is DEAD, Zero. She can't care anymore. Just give up and join her if you believe she's still watching! Accept death this time!_

"NO!" cried Zero, shaking his head. "I refuse to accept that!'

The other Hunters in the base stared at Zero, slightly afraid of this little outburst. Zero suddenly realized he had said the last part of his mental argument aloud without even thinking about it. _Am I going crazy? _he wondered. _Is this the final sign of my inevitable decline? Were they right to replace me?_

Confusion pounding through his mind, he wandered the halls again, leaving confused Hunters in his wake...

---

X also was wandering the halls, but not due to any confusion or pandemonium. Instead, he was searching for Zero, to try to tell him why Signas had made this particular decision, and to try to calm down his most likely worried friend. However, so far he was not having much success.

"Zero!" he called, his voice echoing down the long corridors and twisting passages of the base. However, no voice came in reply. He sighed and trudged on through the halls, worry occupying his mind above all else.

Eventually, however, he realized he had arrived, perhaps through coincidence or perhaps through a subconscious desire, at Zero's old room. He sighed to himself and knocked once, figuring that perhaps the young Hunter Deathsong could help him with the search, having most likely been the last to see Zero.

A young silver-haired man with black armor and almost fishhook like hair opened the door. He was wearing a simple black helmet with a visor that obscured his eyes and one hand held what resembled in many ways a tuning fork. He bowed as he saw who his visitor was. "Konnichiwa, X-sama. I'm afraid that Zero's not here, if that's who you're looking for. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get ready for a mission..." He started to close the door, but X kept it open fairly easily.

"I know Zero's not here, Deathsong-san. That's why I came to talk to you," X replied, in a calm tone of voice.

Deathsong raised one eyebrow, although that fact was difficult to tell. "Hmn? Why would one so great as you wish to talk to someone as lowly as me?"

Despite being annoyed at the younger Hunter's faked respect, X managed to remain calm. "Because Zero-san has gone missing, and I wish to know if you know where he may be."

Deathsong shook his head. "I gave him the news of his temporary replacement, and he ran out. After that, I do not know where he may have gone. Now, if you will excuse me, I really need to go..." He started to try to close the door again. This time X, brought beyond the point of politeness, shoved it back open using nearly all his strength, forcing Deathsong to let go or get slammed into the wall. He chose the former.

"Listen, kid," X growled. "I do not care how important this mission may be, but the disappearance of an important Hunter is a much bigger issue. Now, how exactly did you break the news to him?"

Deathsong sighed. "I said he had been replaced temporarily by me, and told him where his new quarters were. I didn't sugarcoat it or anything, but I wasn't going 'Heh, you're a loser and I'm much better!' either, if that's what you're asking."

X shook his head. "You may not have been trying to be harsh on him, but Zero's been in a fragile state since the death of Iris-chan. It's quite likely he took it as a personal insult."

Deathsong shrugged. "I'm sorry that he did – if he did – but it's not my fault. I really can't help you, X-sama."

X sighed a third time today and nodded slowly. "You're right. I'm forcing too much upon you... I'm just worried for Zero, so..."

Deathsong smiled slightly. "Don't worry, X-sama. I'm sure Zero-sama will be OK."

"You're right. Thank you for the help you gave me, Deathsong-san. I look forward to fighting beside you in the next few weeks."

"And I look forward to working with you as well, X-sama," Deathsong replied. "Now, I better get ready or Alia will kill me..." They both grinned at each other for a second, then Deathsong closed the door, leaving X standing alone in the hall, wondering to what degree the kid had been humouring him.

---

Zero walked alone through the cool green forest near the Hunter base, staring up at the canopy of green that cast the forest in shadow. Very few except Zero ever came here, so he was for once at peace. His mind was slightly calmer than it had been before, and his destination was clear.

He stepped into a large, open clearing, through which a thin creek trickled. One tree stood in the very center, casting the glade in green shadows, and towards that he walked, remembering the only time he had ever brought someone else there...

_"Where are you taking me?" asked the young brown-haired woman, pulling a few twigs out of her hair._

_"You'll see. It's a great place! I come there all the time to relax and stuff...I think you'll like it... And then it can be our place, instead of just mine..."_

_The woman grinned slightly. "I... I think I'd like that, Zero-kun."_

_"I'm glad you think so, Iris-chan," replied the blonde man, grinning as he ran off through the woods, followed closely by the girl known as Iris._

Zero sighed and sat at the base of the tree, staring up at its many leaves. "Heh... This is the first time since the incident I've been here without you, Iris-chan... I hope you don't mind, but I feel closer to you here than anywhere else, and... I need to talk to you, even if you can't hear me any more..." he said to the air and sky, his blue eyes filled with sadness.

He brushed a strand of blonde hair out of his face and smiled sadly to himself. "Did you know this tree was a cherry tree? Well, it is. You never got to come in spring, so you never saw the cherry blossoms fall... I was planning to bring you one day as a surprise and see what you thought... It's too bad it didn't end up working out that way..."

"Have you ever heard of _The Book of Tea, _by Kakuzo Okakura? It's mostly about... well, tea, of course... but there's a section on flowers... Now how does that passage go...? It's about cherry blossoms..." A single tear slid down his cheek as he recited the passage. "'For a moment they hover like bejeweled clouds and dance above the crystal streams; then, as they sail away on the laughing waters, they seem to say: 'Farewell, O Spring! We are on to Eternity.''"

"Is that where you are, Iris? Are you with the cherry blossoms of Springs past now? Or does nothing but oblivion await the dead? I hope you're with the cherry blossoms... I hope you're happy... one of us needs to be..." Crystal tears were running down his cheeks freely.

"Everything's falling apart without you, Iris. I've been replaced as a commander, and I'm starting to think it's a good thing I was... I'm becoming more obsolete every day... What's left for me now but the promise of you? What's left but death?"

"Iris-chan... please... If you don't want me to come to you yet, give me some sign. Show me somehow that I have something to live for... even if it's just the wishes of the one I killed... Please..."

Suddenly, a flash of pink caught his eyes. A single cherry blossom rested upon the branch above him, despite the fact it was still a few weeks until spring. The wind caught the lone blossom and tried to pull it from the branch it rested upon, but the cherry blossom somehow remained in place, merely buffeted back and forth in place. Zero closed his eyes and nodded. "I... Thank you, Iris. I shall be like that cherry blossom... I will remain strong no matter what happens... and I will always remember you, until the day I go to meet you. I just hope you are happy..." He rose to his feet and bowed to the tree, before walking back through the woods towards the base. Unseen by him, the wind ripped the blossom from the branch and carried into the creek, sweeping it into parts unknown...


	6. Saiko

A/N: Another boring day, another chapter. Thanks once again to Ryuujin for helping me write this. I'm really running out of things to say. ; Oh, and Hitomi in this chapter Scientist girl in the second chapter if you've forgotten.

Mightierdandasword: Do you hate Zero for some reason? o.o; Yes, he bawled when Iris first died, but you would too... He's had time to partially recover now. ; Besides, brooding leads to better writing then bawling. :P

mad-man: The tuning fork really long pointed weapon that looks like a tuning fork. :P It has other uses as well, which shall be discovered in this chapter.

Chapter 6: Saiko (The Best)

Deathsong stepped into the small room that housed the teleporter. A blonde Repliroid in pink clothing stood at a panel nearby, pressing buttons in rapid succession. She waved as the silver-haired man entered, but he still sensed her resentment of the fact it wasn't Zero standing before her. He sighed and shrugged it off, figuring he should probably get used to that reaction.

"Hello, Deathsong-san," she stated in an even voice. "My name is Alia. I'm here to navigate you through the area you'll be going to, alright?"

He nodded. "What exactly does this mission entail, Alia-chan?"

She winced at the overly familiar suffix he had used, but continued. "Well, we have word that a Maverick force is trying to build a new base in the jungle. You are to hunt down the leader of the building squad, Claw Jaguar. Please, only retire her if at all necessary - we have word that she is carrying a particularly virulent strain of the Sigma Virus, and it is quite possible her death would release it..."

Deathsong nodded. "Sounds good to me." He grinned as he stepped into the teleporter. _This should be easy enough, _he thought as his body began to dissolve into light. _I mean, if hunting down basic Mavericks is all Zero has to do, I'm surprised I wasn't promoted earlier... _

---

Sigma watched on one of his many hidden cameras as Deathsong began his trip through the jungle. He summoned one of the many Maverick commanders that stayed at his side at all times, and gestured at the screen showing the silver-haired man. "He could pose a threat, unless he is on our side," he stated in a harsh voice. "I want you to do all you can to infect him for me..."

The Maverick nodded and retreated into the shadows, leaving Sigma alone to contemplate his next commander...

---

Zero slowly walked back towards the Hunter base, his blonde hair falling into his face as the wind caught it. He was still silent and indrawn, but the urge for death had departed him. _It's only temporary... _he thought as he keyed in the code to open the doors of the base.

As he walked through the halls towards his new room, a cry of "Zero!" grabbed his attention. Dashing towards him were X and the young scientist Hitomi.

Zero blinked and waved as they skidded to a stop on the metal floors. "Hey, guys... why all the rush over me?" he asked.

X sighed and looked embarrassed. "We were worried because we couldn't find you anywhere... we were starting to worry you had been eaten or something."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Well, for something to be able to eat me, it would have to be able to sneak into the base without setting off any alarms, find me without alerting other Hunters, and then somehow incapacitate an S rank hunter long enough to eat him. What's the real reason you're so worried?" he queried, in a tone of voice that indicated he already knew the real answer.

Hitomi sighed and stared at the floor. "Well, really... we were worried you had taken your temporary replacement too hard and shut yourself down or something..." she admitted in an embarrassed tone.

Zero nodded slowly, and Hitomi and X tensed even more. Then he grinned slightly. "It's alright, guys," he assured them. "It's only temporary, after all, and I could use a chance to rest... I'm sorry I was acting so awful before..."

"It's alright, Zero-kun," X said, grinning with relief that his friend wasn't too angry. "I understand that it must've been hard on you..."

"Right now, I really just want to relax for a while..." Zero stated calmly. "And don't worry, no more snapping at random Hunters for me." He grinned again, and the other two grinned back happily as he set off for his room...

---

Deathsong dodged another attack from the lithe cat-like Maverick, this one only missing by inches. "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

"Well, if all -you- can do is dodge, I think I have the upper hand," the Maverick responded, swiping and missing again. "Eventually you'll be too tired to dodge, and then I win."

"What if you get too tired to fight first?" Deathsong asked, dodging another blow.

"I doubt that will happen, but just in case, I think I'll finish things now," she responded, and swiped at the air near Deathsong. He was about to taunt her for missing that badly when the three waves of energy her claws had sent out struck him in the chest, knocking him into the half-built wall of the Maverick base and leaving three deep cuts in his armor.

Deathsong grunted and pushed himself to his feet using his staff. "And that was supposed to finish me?" he queried, a smirk growing across his face. "Let me show you a real finishing move." He reached forward and struck one of the pointed tongs of his staff with one finger. A note sounded quietly, much like that generated by a more normal tuning fork.

The jaguar-like Repliroid raised an eyebrow. "And that does... what?" she asked in a cold tone.

"You'll see," he responded, pointing the staff at her. The note somehow was still playing, and what's more, growing in volume. The pointed tines were vibrating slightly.

"Alright, fine, I'll wait, but if something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to be very dissapointed," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "Also, may I note that after this attack fails, you're dead?"

"Oh, it won't fail," the silver-haired man responded, but his voice was almost drowned out by the note the tuning fork was producing. However, his next words sounded clearly over the note. "Now listen to the rhapsody of oblivion..."

The note suddenly grew still louder, and some sort of nearly invisible cone of energy shot from the staff, knocking the girl into the wall with much more force than her attack had involved. Oil trickled out of the corner of her mouth as she struggled and failed to climb to her feet.

Deathsong stepped forward, his staff no longer producing that sound. "Sonic energy is an amazing thing, really," he stated calmly. "It's incredible how much damage mere sound can do..."

"Damn... you..." the Maverick muttered, once again trying to struggle to her feet.

"Don't try to get up - The vibrations have done way too much internal damage to your systems for that. Now, listen to me very carefully." He knelt before her so she could clearly see his eyes behind the black visor he wore. "I'm not supposed to kill you, because then I might be infected by the Maverick virus, blah blah blah. However, I don't like you very much. So, unless you have a really good reason for me not to kill you, I'm going to anyway. So, speak now, or forever rest in peace."

She smiled very faintly, eyes closed. "Firstly, you're mixing up ceremonies, but I figure that's deliberate," she mumbled. "Secondly, feel free... to kill me... Sigma... will still live on..."

Deathsong arched one eyebrow. "Ah, so Sigma-san has returned? Thank you for the news, but I'm afraid that now you die..."

He climbed to his feet and raised the staff, bringing it down quickly towards her chest...

---

"Master, he has gotten himself infected by Jaguar... Should I bring him here, or should we wait for the infection to fully take hold?" the Maverick commander asked his master.

Sigma thought for a moment, fingers pressed tightly together. Then he seemed to come to a decision and nodded. "I would like to go meet him myself, actually. He will be an excellent general, and I think it would be a good idea to meet him personally..."

The Maverick recoiled at the idea. "But master, your body is still weak, and he's not fully infected! What if you get injured in transport, or he's still Hunter enough to want to kill you, or-"

Sigma stopped him with an upraised hand. "This is my wish. So it shall be done."

The Maverick nodded unhappily and went off to fetch a good transport method...

---

Deathsong sighed as he felt the strange presence in his systems. "So, Alia-san was correct..." he said quietly. "It's unfortunate, but ah well..."

"So, you have detected the virus?" a harsh voice asked behind him.

Deathsong turned around to see the one he once hated and would now most likely serve standing behind him. "...Yes, Sigma-sama..." he stated quietly.

Sigma grinned broadly. His new body was simple and humanoid, but looked to be somehow incomplete, with parts not quite matching correctly and a rough feel to the whole creation. "That's good to hear," he stated. "Don't worry - you won't be one of my mindless servants. I feel your tactics and personality are just what we need, so we are merely... twisting them..."

Deathsong stared at the ground for a second, then looked up, a sick grin growing on his face. "That's unfortunate, Sigma-sama," he stated in a deeply evil voice.

Sigma raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Rather than replying, Deathsong merely brought his staff around in a sweeping arc, catching Sigma directly in the chest with the pointed tines and, quite simply, impaling him. "Because I hate authority," he said quietly as the Maverick leader's body crumpled before him. "And I shall make a greater commander than you ever were."

---

Zero sat alone in his room, reading through a manga happily. _I wonder if I should dye my hair silver? It looks pretty good on this "Blues.EXE" person... _he thought as he flipped through the pages. Most of the worry had been banished from his mind after his meditation session in the woods, and he was now able to relax.

However, a knock came on his door, startling him out of his calm. "May I come in, Zero-sama? I have great news!" came Hitomi's voice.

"Yeah, sure," he said, wondering what the news was. He opened the door to reveal the young woman standing there, happiness shining in blue eyes.

"What's up, Hitomi-san?" he asked, brushing blonde hair away from his face.

"Sigma tried to come back again, but he was defeated! This is the shortest Sigma attack we've ever had! Now we don't have to worry about him for a while again!"

Zero blinked, trying to conceal his surprise. "That's great! Who was the Hunter who did it?" he asked, dreading that he already knew the answer.

Hitomi sighed and stared at the ground, confirming Zero's suspicions. "It... It was Deathsong-san, Zero-sama. He himself said it was just luck, but..."

Zero stared at the ground. "I understand," he said quietly. "I assume he'll remain commander of the Zero Unit?"

"N-no, Zero-sama! We're giving him his own unit and giving yours back, don't worry! We only have so many S Class hunters, and we're not going to demote one!"

Zero laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Yes, but his unit will be the one people call upon. He'll be the one people ask for help... The Zero Unit is obsolete, just like me." He laughed again. "To think, I was starting to finally think I was OK! Should have known better, I guess... Goodbye, Hitomi-san. I might see you around if they don't fire me.." The door slid closed between them again, leaving Hitomi to stare at the cold metal and worry...

---  
A/N: THe plot thickens! moohahaha... Also, the reference to Rockman.EXE is comepletley and utterly random, so ignore it. XD


	7. Taiketsu

A/N: Yay for a new chapter! Don't worry, just because I'm working on 42642364721 things on the side and going to school doesn't mean I won't finish this. In this chapter, Deathsong... does stuff! Yay!

Chapter 7: Taiketsu (Confrontation)

"Hey! Zero-kun, you in there?" called X, knocking on the metal door of Zero's room.

"...Go away, X," came the reply.

X sighed. He really hadn't expected any response besides that. "Zero-kun, you can't stay in hiding like this... Everyone's too worried..."

"...Why? Deathsong can save them now. Why would you want a piece of junk like me?"

X sighed again and brushed a strand of brown hair out of his eyes. "Because you're still better than 99 of the hunters here! Because your technique is better than anything I've ever seen Deathsong do! Because Deathsong only defeated Sigma because he was lucky and got there first! And most of all, because you're my friend, and I care about you!"

"...Yeah, right. Stop lying to make me feel better and go away, please. I'm fine here."

"Zero-kun, you can't stay here forever..."

"I don't need to eat, my recharge capsule is right here, and noone needs me outside. Why can't I just stay here?"

"Please, Zero-kun! All the Hunters are so worried for you! Please come out!"

"...Tommorow, X-san. Please just leave me alone today." Zero's voice sounded weary and as if he had finally just given up on life.

"...Alright, Zero-kun... I'll see you tommorow..." X sighed and walked back through the halls. Somehow he doubted Zero would come out tommorow, but this was still the most progress he had made yet...

Deathsong quietly disconnected the crucial wire and grinned as the system shut down, quickly followed by the lights in the halls and rooms. He shut off the backup generators, then quickly headed back to his room as the first cries came...

X was halfway to his room when the power shut off, leaving him in darkness. He immedatley morphed his arm into its buster form and activated a minor "flashlight" use of the weapon, illuinating a path through the darkness. He resumed his walk through the halls, now much more warily, before bumping into a short girl with brown hair, who recoiled in horror before seeing his face and relaxing slightly.

"X-sama! What's going on?!" Hitomi cried, her voice tinted with fear.

"I have no idea, Hitomi-san... Our backup generators should've kicked in by now... unless this is sabotage..."

"But how could anyone sabotage the system?! There's no way a Maverick could get inside the base!"

"...Hitomi-san... What if we had welcomed a Maverick into the base with open arms?"

"Are you saying it's an inside job?" quieried Hitomi.

"I'm not certain, but it does seem to be the most likely situation... Like you said, how could a Maverick get inside the base otherwise?"

Hitomi shook her head. "We scan all the new recruits. There's no way one could be infected."

"That's true... But several of our Hunters have been in close proximity to the Virus after they were recruited. In fact, I'd say at least sixty-five percent have. What if just one of those was infected...?"

"But who?" asked Hitomi.

"I don't know, but after the power's restored, there's going to be a lot of scans to preform."

Zero barely reacted for a few seconds after his power out, merely placing his manga on the table besides him. After those seconds had passed, however, he got to his feet slowly, picking up his red helmet from the table and placing it over his blonde hair, making sure his saber was attached to his belt, and forcing open the now unlocked door.

He had some hunting to do for the first time in days, and he knew exactly who to start with...

Deathsong lounged alone in his room, waiting for the first Hunter to come to ask him for help. He already had plans on what to say when they came, and grinned as he heard the footfalls outside his door, preparing to fall into a faked sleep mode the second it was opened.

However, the door was forced open not by some innocent newbie, but instead by an almost nightmarish figure. Easily 7 feet tall, clad in red armor and a spiked helmet, only lit byt the eerie green glow of the sword he held in one hand, the figure provided an impressive sight as he stood framed in the doorway.

Deathsong raised one eyebrow. "Ah, Zero-sama... or Zero-san, as the case is now," he said quietly. "I thought you were in seclusion from the world... what happened to force the hermit out of his cave...?"

Zero pointed the sword at Deathsong. "I know you are the one doing this, Deathsong. I know you are Maverick. You're the only one they wouldn't suspect, so you could sabatoge us and not get caught..." he growled.

Deathsong grinned slightly, but his voice remained even. "Are you sure you are not merely delusional, Zero-san? Seclusion can do that to anyone... I assure you, I am not Maverick..."

Zero looked annoyed and raised his blade. "The others are blinded by the lies you feed them, but I will allow you to destroy us from the inside no more!" With that, he charged the silver-haired hunter, who merely picked his staff from off the floor where it lay. A single note sounded, and Zero fell to the floor.

Deathsong slowly rose from his chair, walking over to where Zero lay, twitching. "Do not worry, Zero-san. I have only minorly incapacitated you... but after I tell the story of how you disabled the power and then wnt after me under the cover of darkness, I know not what the Hunters shall do to you..."

Zero was merely able to look on in silence as Deathsong walked out of the room to find the other Hunters...


	8. Aishiteru

A/N: No reviews ;.; Ah well, I shall press on nonetheless! The SOTA Flash project I was working on for a short while is now dead and forgotten, replaced by the SOTA doujinshi project that will begin once my scanner starts working! And that's pretty much it...

Chapter 8:Aishiteru (I Love You)

Zero sat alone in the darkened cell they had placed him in, his armor gone, leaving him looking human and vulnerable. His blonde hair was draped over his knees and also flowed out onto the floor of the cell around him. The cell itself was relitavley bare, with just a simple recharge capsule as furnishings. His blue eyes were closed as he drew his knees tightly towards his body.

_Why didn't he just destroy me...? _he thought. _He had the chance... is this some sort of mindgame? Is he trying to use me as a scapegoat and therefore keeping me alive? Did he know that they wouldn't be able to see his true nature...?_

Suddenly his eyes flared open and he slammed one fist into the ground, his sapphire eyes burning with anger. _Why can't they see the truth?! Why do they deny that he is Maverick?! Why won't they believe me?!_

His increasingly angry train of thought was cut off by a knock at the door to his cell. "Anou... Zero-sama, are you awake?" came Hitomi's voice through the speaker that had been installed between the outside and the inside.

"...I am Zero-sama no longer, Hitomi-sama," he replied quietly. "My ranks have been stripped of me. I am not even a civillian in rank - I am a criminal."

"Zero-sama, you're not a criminal," replied Hitomi. "I know you're not infected. Every infected person I've seen has been much more blatant about it - unless the strain is specifically designed to leave the core systems alone, the Repliroid becomes effectivley incapable of subtley, due to design flaws. That's why so many Mavericks are caught before they can do anything. You're not like that - you're just malfunctioning somehow, and we can fix that..."

"Oh, joy. So now I'm not infected, I'm broken. That's so much better," Zero replied sarcastically. "Just leave me alone, Hitomi-sama. I'm probably going to be retired soon, or imprisoned for life. I don't want you to be tarnished by associating with me."

"Please... Zero-sama," Hitomi implored. "Stop thinking so lowly of yourself! You'll be scanned tommorow and found clean, and then we'll repair the problem! It will all be OK..."

"...No. It won't," replied Zero. "The main problem will still exist, because you refuse to scan Deathsong, who is the reason all this happened. He'll collapse the base from the inside eventually... All because you refuse to see..."

Hitomi sighed slightly, the noise sounding crackly and odd over the intercom. "Deathsong-sama is not a Maverick. He's been the main force behind all the repairs we've had to do, and what's more, he's a wonderful Hunter - more Mavericks brought down than anyone else this month. And of course, there's-"  
"Sigma. I know," Zero interjected. "I know he brought down Sigma. I know he destroyed our biggest threat. But what if he got infected in the proccess, or even before that? I keep up on mission info, and I know that Jaguar had dangerously high infection levels..."

"He's shown none of the signs!" Hitomi replied annoyedly. "He's the best we have!"

Zero laughed bitterly, his eyes filled with pain. "You finally admit it, eh?"

"Admit what, Zero-sama?" asked Hitomi.

"He's the best. He's the greatest. He's better than I ever was, and ever will be. He's the only one who matters now."

---

Deathsong stood in front of the mainframe computer of the base, grinning slightly, ready to begin his greatest plan yet. The past two sabatoges had been mere warning shots of sort - now it was time to begin the real project. He grinned and begin to type activley, occasionally brushing a strand of silver hair out of his face...

---

"Tha-That's not what I meant, Zero-sama!" Hitomi stuttered. "He's just good! You're equals!"

"Yeah, right," muttered Zero. "You just told me what I had always believed, Hitomi-sama."

"No... please... you're different... So very different... Just trust me, Zero-sama! You're as good as him, perhaps even better! I didn't mean it when I said what I said..."

"....And what exactly makes Deathsong and I so different? Is it that I'm Maverick scum, while he's the paragon of virtue?! Is it that he can do no wrong?! Why not just declare him Pope and take the rest of the day off!" Zero shouted angrily.

"No, Zero... That's not it..." Hitomi replied quietly.

"Then what is it, hmn?!"

There was a long period of silence on the other end, then very quietly, the answer came.

"Because I don't love Deathsong, Zero-sama..."

---

Deathsong grinned and prepared to press the final button to begin his plan. As he pressed it, a tiny progress screen came up, the precentages going much more slowly than Deathsong would like. However, finally it hit 99, and his grin grew larger as he waited for the chaos to begin...

---

"...What?" Zero said quietly, his voice disbelieving.

"...I love you, Zero-sama. I don't know why, but I do. Perhaps it's just that I can see your pain and want to ease it... perhaps it's because I can see what you could become. But I love you, and I have for a while now..." Hitomi paused for a second, and when she spoke again, Zero could tell she was crying. "So tell me, Zero-sama... Do you love me?"

"Hitomi-sama... I... I... I don't know what to say... I think..." Zero was stuttering, his eyes wide. "Iris was so recent... and..."

Hitomi cut him off, her voice now choked with sobs. "I understand. It would feel wrong to forget Iris so soon, right?" Zero tried to interrupt, but she began speaking again too soon for that. "Don't worry, Zero-sama, I... I understand... if you ever change your mind... then..." She began sobbing too hard to speak, the muffled sounds echoing oddly in the cell.

Zero wanted to run to comfort her, but a wall of concrete seperated the two, keeping them distant. "Hi-Hitomi-sama, that's not what I mean! I just... I need time to think! Please..." Before he could speak further, however, a low alarm cut him off.

"Wha... what's that alarm for?" asked Hitomi, still sniffling, bu brought out of her tears partially by the sudden alarm.

"I have no idea," replied Zero, fear tinting his voice slightly. "But I somehow doubt it's anything good."

Before they could discuss this any further, a computerized female voice played through the many speakers in the base. "Warning. Maverick presences detected in base," the voice said evenly. "The current estimate of Maverick numbers is one hundred and thirty four. Security systems will activate, but all Hunters are advised to be on alert." The alarm then resumed its loud and low whoop.

"A hundred and thirty four?! There's no way there could be that many Mavericks!" Hitomi said fearfully.

"...No, but Hitomi-sama... How many people do you think the base contains, counting civillians being protected and suchlike?" Zero replied silently.

"The last time I checked the roster, the amount was a hundred and fifteen, but a few new recruits have come in since then... but what does that... oh..." Hitomi seemed to come to a sudden realization and fell silent.

Zero nodded, despite the fact Hitomi couldn't see him. "Exactly. The system is now registering everything as Maverick. I reccomend you run... And Hitomi?"

Hitomi's voice quavered with fear when she spoke, but it was still remarkably steady considering the circumstances. "Y-yes, Zero-sama?" she asked.

"I love you too, and I hope we'll be able to be together soon... but for now run." Zero's own voice was stable and even, but a slight amount of pain leaked in.

"...Hai..." With that, the intercom shut off, and Zero could hear her footsteps away form the door, leaving Zero alone in the darkness to try to plan...


	9. Shindeimasu

Finally I write again! This chapter is deitcated to Variance (forgot the AIM name ;) who gave me a big enough ego boost to get me to write again.

We're onto the second-to-last chaper! W00! Now it's time to see where I've been leading to all this time. Joyful!

Mad-man: Jeans and a t-shirt, and the concrete is steel-reinforced. or something. Plus, did you ever see Zero break through concrete without his sabre?

Chapter 9: Shindeimasu (To Be Dead)

Hitomi ran through the halls, the low alarm drowning out the sound of her feet, her brown hair and white labcoat flowing behind her as she ran at top speed. She could hear gunfire and screams in the distance, but so far none of the guns had trained on her. She had tried to figure out why for a while, but now she was merely running, trying desperatley to catch her breath without slowing down.

Her need to figure out a method was brought to an end when a tall man, his spiky gothic armor shining in the flourescent lights, stepped into the corridor. He grinned slightly as he saw her, silver eyes calm, staff held loosely in one hand. "Konnichiwa, Hitomi-hakase," he said in a quiet voice that would have sent shivers down most spines.

However, Hitomi was too frightened to notice. "Deathsong-sama! Thank God! We need to get out of here, the computer is-"

Deathsong cut her off with a casual wave of his staff. "I know, I know. It took me long enough to figure out how to do it, so I should know what it does."

Hitomi stared at him, the fear in her eyes growing. "You don't mean..." she whispered.

Deathsong laughed a little, the tines of the staff beginning to vibrate. "You people really are idiots. I killed Sigma, yes, but that's only so I could take control from him. It's really too bad... if you had trusted the scrap metal, you might have lived... But as it is, you have to die now..." He pointed the tines at her. "Any last words before I sing the rhapsody for you?"

"....Zero will survive somehow... you will not win in the end..." she said quietly.

Deathsong laughed again. "Such defiance! I like that in a woman. It's so bad you have to die anyway." He struck the tines with one finger, and then the sweet, pure note embraced her body, delivering her to darkness...

* * *

Zero still sat alone in the cell. he had tried to break the walls with new vigor, but he had only succeeded in chipping the reinforced concrete. However, as he was about to try again, the door stood open. He could see the shillouette of Deathsong against the light behind him, with something draped in her arms, limp and still, a coat or something the figure wore brushing the ground.

Then his eyes adjusted, and he could see Hitomi's limp figure, the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were open, but they were empty, gems without any sparkle.

Zero found himself unable to speak as Deathsong stepped forward. A smirk crossed the Maverick's face. "Ah, good. I was hoping this would affect you. It wouldn't be as good a battle if you had nothing to fight for, Zero-sama..." The honorific was pronounced mockingly as he tossed Hitomi's limp form aside. "But no matter how hard you battle, Zero-sama, you will lose. You said it yourself many times. _You are obsolete._" The last words dripped poison as he raised the staff. "I will give you time to prepare, although it will do no good. There are many Hunters outside. Take the armor from one of them, then return..."

Zero felt his shock turn to anger. "I do not need a handicap!" he shouted. "If it is to avenge Hitomi, I will-"

"-Fight without any weapons or armor because you're an idiot and die without the slightest chance to avenge her. Bright idea, Zero-sama." Deathsong sighed. "I just want a decent challenge of skill, and you deny me even that?"

Zero wanted to scream and charge, but Deathsong was, unfortunatley, correct. He needed some form of weaponry, at the very least. He got up slowly and went to walk outside, and Deathsong stepped aside for him. "Remember, no running away," the Maverick mocked.

Zero glared at him as he passed. "I will not run away. I will avenge her." However, as he stepped aside, he almost reconsidered the thought.

The bodies of Hunters were strewn everywhere, almost covering the floor. Oil and blood mixed in large pools, and quite a few humans lay there in addition to the reploids. The wounds ranged from almost-invisible sonic diruption from Deathsong's staff to the obvious laser burns caused by the security cannons. Zero stared in utter horror. _This man is a monster... _he thought in shock. However, his fear quickly changed to anger. _And I will avenge all those he has killed! _

He walked over to one of the fallen Hunters, who was wearing armor that was clearly styled on his own, although with a black undersuit instead of a grey one and no shoulderpads. There were a few other minor changes, and the sabre was different from what he was used to, but it would do. "Forgive me for this," he whispered to the fallen Hunter as he touched the large gem that rested in the chestplate of the armor.

As he had expected, the armor dissapeared as he touched the gem, and the gem itself lifted away easily. That was good - the armor was a standard model after all. He pressed the gem to the chest and ran the activation program he assumed would fit the gem's coding, and indeed the red-black armor appeared around his body.He grinned darkly and grabbed the sabre, switching the green blade on. Slowly he walked back into the cell he had lay in for days. Deathsong lounged against the opposite wall.

"Ah, Zero-sama, I see you choose close to home!" Deathsong stated, mocking once again. "Model... hmn... Cipher 1, if I remember correctly. Stylisitcally based on yours, but I'm afraid the details are different, so you may have some trouble... But I assume you'll fight anyway...?"

Zero nodded grimly. "For all those you have killed."

"Even Sigma?" Deathsong said, grinning.

"...Just shut up and fight..." he muttered.

Deathsong shrugged. "Your funeral." He charged and swiftly moved the staff downwards.

Zero was barely able to block in time, the sword catching between the two tines. _He's too good... _he thought, desperation tinting the mental words.

Deathsong twisted the staff around, freeing the tines and nearly disarming Zero. "Impressive, for an obsolete piece of junk like you," he said quietly. Some of the mocking was gone from his voice, replaced with a spark of anger. "I'm actually kind of annoyed. I was hoping this would be over soon."

"No such luck," Zero replied, and stabbed forward. Deathsong dodged easily, leaping forwards in the same motion and...

Pain shot through Zero's systems. A sudden major damage report flashed into his vision. He looked down to see his own arm, lying before him...

Deathsong laughed at this, the mocking tone returning to his voice. "Dropped your guard, Zero-kun!" he saiid laughingly as he wiped the oil off his staff. "Junk like you has to be on the defensive to last five seconds against me!"

"Damn... you..." Zero muttered. He charged again, putting all is energy into the charge, and then collapsed. He realized in horror that now his legs were missing. Deathsong had moved so fast, he hadn't even seen it... and now the damage reports were showing a major loss in power, a desperate need to shut down...

Deathsong stood over the fallen figure, staff pointing tines down. "Any last words...?" he said, a sick grin growing on his face.

Zero half-smiled, readying himself. If he was going to die, he might as well... "Yeah," he said quietly.

"And they would be?" Deathsong asked, staff still held at ready.

The smile on Zero's face grew. "Junk... like you... needs to be on the... defensive..." With that, he stabbed upwards with his remaining arm, the blade catching the suprised Deathsong in the chest. The oil sizzled as it hit the energy blade.

Deathsong's face twisted into a scowl. "You..." he began, then collapsed backwards, the life vanishing from his already-cold eyes. Zero smiled at the sky, eyes closing as various systems effectivley gave up.

"Hitomi... I'll join you now..." With those words, he passed into darkness...

* * *

A/N: GASP! Anyone with any clue as to what I'm doing gets a cookie. Hint: The armor and the exact limbs that are amputated are big hints. Bigbigbig hints. 

Also, I've wondered what those stupid armor crystals are about for YEARS. I finally just gave up and decided they are the armor.

Next chapter: Sundeimasu! You translate, I'm too lazy. The unconjugated form is "Sumu", if that helps.


	10. Sundeimasu

A/N: This is it. The final chapter. I just want to do a few thankyous and things...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, even if some of you do reveal my lack of knowledge. ; It's concrete that Zero can't break through! That's all you need to know!

Thanks to Sailor Senshi Writer in particular, for proving that despite the fact that I didn't have many reviews, I might have more readers than I think. Oh, and also, the RP helped free my writer's block. :D

Thanks to the rest of the COD gang, even though none of you read this. ; Once again, RP Aisu no more writer's block.

Thanks to Ryuujin and Lis. Ryuujin is the one responsible for the evil Deathsong, his staff, and some plot. Lis came up with the concept for this chapter. ; Writing is a group effort for me, and I hope I won't be looked down upon for that...

And thanks for the OC Analysis livejournal community, for telling me that Hitomi is only a -little- Mary-sueish. Yet another reason to rewrite this in a few years, when I'm older and better at developing love plots...

Well, that's it for my rather egotistical AN. ; It's been fun writing this... And I promise, I'll keep writing MMX stuff.

Chapter 10: Sundeimasu (To Live)

X wandered alone through the destroyed base. He had tried his hardest to help during the attack, but one of the security cannons had struck him and managed to knock him out until now, when his auto-repair systems had finally compensated for the actually relitavley minor damage. However, he had still been too slow to save anyone...

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Even if he had been awake, there was nothing he could've done. It was a massacre, pure and simple.

The cannons were mockingly silent now, clearly disabled by whatever Maverick had activated them. For that matter, who -was- it? The security guards would capture any known Maverick who tried to enter and...

Any -known- Maverick. What if it was unknown, or the Maverick had already been inside the base, and what's more, had already been accepted - no, revered - by the Hunters?

What if Zero had been right?

His steps quickened, boots pounding on the floor a little faster than before. He had to get to Zero and make sure that the crimson Hunter was alright, that Deat-the unknown Maverick hadn't taken him down.

And that thought raised an interesting question. Why couldn't he convince himself that it was Deathsong? Why couldn't he trust his friend? Was it just Sigma? Was it X's inner self trying to pretend like someone who had taken down Sigma couldn't be wrong?

Hunters went Maverick often enough. In fact, they were much more likely to, since they were the ones most exposed to the Virus. Magma Dragoon, for one... And yet, he couldn't believe that it was Deathsong, not even with the evidence directly in his face...

He shook his head. This wasn't the time for inner debates. It was who it was, and right now, the fallen - and the possibly still living - were far more important.

He had finally arrived at the holding cell where Zero had been stored, to find the door opened. This was somewhat a suprise for X, and only worked to aid his unwilling suspicion of Deathsong. After all, only the S class Hunters and Signas had access to the keycodes. He had had to open the door for Hitomi earlier today, in fact. And there were very few S class Hunters, other than himself, Zero, and as of a few days ago, Deathsong...

He turned his attention from the door to the corridor. For added protection, there was a long corridor between the outside and the inside, both ending in sealed doors. Only a few knew the nescessary key codes, and he had opened the outside door so that Hitomi could visit just earilier today. He walked along the corridor in silence, eyes afraid...

Finally he got to the second door. This one was also open, the room inside dark. He could almost make out a few shapes in the gloom, and as his visual receptors adjusted, he could see a hint of silver hair...

He stepped into the room slowly, still adjusting to the light. "Zero?" he said quietly, the sound echoing slightly in the small space. However, no reply came. And then, as his eyes adjusted, he finally saw the scene.

Hitomi, crumpled in a corner, a trickle of red blood still at the corner of her mouth. Deathsong, with a single, semi-cauterized wound in his chest, staring at the ceiling with unseeing silver eyes. And...

Zero, the worst wounded of all, eyes closed, still sparking where the blade had cut him cleanly in two.

X knelt by the fallen Hunter's side, cradling his head with one hand. "Oh God, Zero..." he whispered. "I'm so sorry... I doubted you... You and I were supposed to be partners, and I broke that bond..." He closed his eyes, but too late to stop the thin trickle of tears. "Forgive me..."

Zero made no reply, of course. And what had he hoped for? Someone to call "X, it's time to wake up," and to have it all been a dream? To hear Zero speak again, for the crimson Hunter to tell X it was alright?

No. If anything was to be done, X had to do it himself. He wiped away the tears with a gloved hand and picked up the fallen Hunter's form. He only hoped that a few of the healing pods were still operational after Deathsong's rampage.

However, his hopes were in vain. All but one were shattered, due to cannon fire, desperate and confused Hunters, Deathsong, or some combination of the three. The one had a few severed wires and the glass had hairline cracks running through it, but X had no other option.

He placed Zero's form on the ground for a moment and sat down at the small control panel, pressing the button that he had seen the scientists press to open the capsules. It opened slowly and jerkily, but it opened, and X gratefully placed Zero inside before sitting back down again, working entirely through memory to close the capsule, fill it with liquid, and hook up Zero's ports to it. By the time he was done, the machine was emitting a furious humming noise and a few sparks emerged from broken buttons on the panel.

"C'mon, work just a little bit longer..." he murmured as he began the the scan. Soon, data poured onto the screen, almost all of it incomprehensible to X, except for one phrase.

The letters were in red, and dominated most of the screen, flashing rythmically. "Error: System to be repaired obsolete. No appropriate parts availible for..." and then more letters appeared, in a smaller font and clearly much less urgent, listing the various parts that the machine didn't know how to make.

"'Obsolete?' What the... This capsule always worked for him before... It must be broken..." X sighed and stood again, walking over to the capsule Zero floated in and pressing a hand to it.

"I'm... So sorry, Zero. I tried my hardest, but I'm not good enough... If I was a scientist or technician, I could fix you, but all I am is a guardian who failed his mission. But... Maybe somebody will find you..." He sighed and shook his head.

"I promise, Zero. I'll work my hardest to make this land a utopia, for your memory. A place where Reploids and humans can live in harmony, with no threats..." He managed the slightest of smiles. "And when I do, I'll come back for you. I promise you that..."

He walked slowly out of the room, trying his hardest not to look back, but at the doorway, he turned one more time. "I promise," he whispered, and closed the door, leaving the crimson Reploid alone in the darkness...

---

Zero opened his eyes slowly, revealing the world to be blurry and out of focus. His visual receptors were probably slightly damaged, but considering his blurry memories of a few minutes ago, he should be -far- more damaged... Perhaps even dead, especially considering the fact that he had been missing almost all of his limbs.

He sat up slowly, checking to make sure he was not still missing said limbs. However, he seemed to be fine now, and his system readings all seemed to indicate that he hadn't been damaged at all recently. He stared at one gloved hand in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out how this could be.

Eventually, however, his attention was drawn to the landscape around him. He was apparently in some sort of field of grass and wildflowers, the field dotted here and there in trees. The sky was clear and cloudless, and a gentle breeze ruffled the grass at his feet. Everything seemed... perfect.

He shook his head. "Heaven...?" he whispered. He hadn't been religious in life, but right now, the list of possibilities was shrinking rapidly.

A sudden feminine chuckle behind him broke his reverie. "Not Heaven, Zero-sama... sorry, but even if it exists, you're not dead yet. This is just the final state of a dying CPU..." came the gentle voice.

He slowly got up and turned around, revealing the speaker to be the familiar blue-eyed scientist, who was standing in a small cloud of cherry petals. "Hitomi...?" he said quietly.

Hitomi giggled again. "You're not listening to me, Zero-sama. I'm not really Hitomi. Like the rest of this world, I'm just your imagination..." She smiled fleetingly. "I'm not even quite Hitomi. She was just the last thing on your mind before you passed out..." She seemed to flicker for a moment, and suddenly Iris stood in her place.

Zero was still, unfortunatley, deeply confused. "Hito... Iris... I don't understand..."

Iris sighed. "Quite simply, your CPU is damaged beyond repair. As a result, various programs are running in broken ways before you die... Like a near-death experience in humans. One of those was the memory file that contained the data of the girls you loved... But alas, even in life, you could never entirely forget me, and thus, imposed parts of me on what you knew about Hitomi. Thus..." She shimmered again and the scientist smiled. "I am both..."

Zero looked at the sky in silence for a moment, before quietly saying, "So this is all just an illusion."

Hitomi nodded. "I'm afraid so, Zero-sama. What's more, this world is going to fall apart soon. You seem to have an energy current from somewhere that should enable you to keep your core systems running, but your memory files are going to fall apart soon, and this world will come down with it..."

Zero glanced around the field. Everything seemed peaceful enough, but as he watched, a tree flickered out of existance. "...I don't want to lose it..." he whispered. "I'll lose you... and X... and the lives of all I've saved..." He grinned slightly, but his eyes were pained. "At least I won't have to worry about being obsolete anymore."

Hitomi nodded, sadness showing in her eyes. "I'd help you if I could, Zero-sama, but I'm just part of the illusion..."

Zero nodded and turned back to Hitomi, a sad smile on his face. "Illusion or not... Let's try to make the most of the little time I have." He stepped forward and embraced the girl, kissing her deeply as the world began to fall apart around them...

---

And in the darkness, surrounded by the carnage caused by Deathsong, with the words he had so dreaded to hear blinking inches away, the obsolete Reploid smiled...

---

A/N: Too much Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. ;

I'm worried that the fic lost its original focus as things went on, but...

Anyway! For those who couldn't figure out what the deep secret hinted at in chapter 9 was...

It's turning into Megaman Z. ; Hence the about-to-break capsule and the new armour and the memory loss and the -stuff-.

...Right-o. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D And also, moo.

Now, onto something more important. ;


End file.
